Wednesday, 24 July 2013

New crash test heroes...and zeros

The SEAT New Leon, Latin NCAP's first 5 star car

Latin NCAP has awarded its first
ever five-star safety rating for adult occupant protection to the SEAT New
Leon, in independent consumer crash tests published today with support from the Road Safety Fund. Latin NCAP
also welcomed the four-star rating for the Suzuki Celerio city car’s adult
occupant protection. The results show that manufacturers can produce small cars
for the region with stable structures and good protection.

In contrast to these positive
results Latin NCAP’s latest tests also reveal that some of the best-selling
models produced by global brands are offering zero-star levels of protection
which would fail to meet even basic global safety standards. The worst
performing cars in the recent round of crash tests from Latin NCAP were the
Nissan Tsuru (Sentra B13), Renault Clio Mio, Suzuki Alto K10 and Chevrolet
Agile. All scored zero stars.Sold with no airbags, and body structures that
collapse onto the people inside, the crash tests of these popular entry-level
models make for disturbing viewing.

This is very disappointing and partly due to the lack of airbags as standard, but the real problem is the substandard safety of their body structures," said Global NCAP's Technical Director Alejandro Furas. "Body structures that collapse onto the people inside can have fatal or life-threatening consequences in real-world crashes. These zero rated cars are built by companies that produce good, safe five star cars and at affordable prices for buyers in other parts of the world. Now is the time for car buyers in Latin America to be able to choose five star models that exceed global safety standards".

The Renault Clio Mio was one of four cars to score zero stars for occupant protection

In
response to these results, Global NCAP chairman Max Mosley has written to the
CEOs of Renault-Nissan, General Motors and Suzuki, urging them to apply the
UN’s minimum crash safety standards to their global passenger car production. “Global
NCAP is concerned weak sales and deteriorating profits in traditional markets
are encouraging car companies to take unnecessary risks on safety in emerging
markets,” said Mosley. “Unregulated emerging markets make it too easy for car
companies to produce products that short change customers on safety. If CEOs know
their products do not meet global safety standards, they should take
responsibility and act now. The lives of customers in Latin America are no less
valuable than those in Europe, Japan and North America.”

Car
production exceeds 60 million units annually due to growth in emerging markets
where road traffic injury has become a major public health concern. A key
recommendation of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 is for
manufacturers to apply global crash test standards more widely. Global NCAP
estimates as many as 20 million vehicles a year fail to meet the UN standards
and has asked industry leaders to consider a voluntary commitment on safety.

The
organization is asking manufacturers to ensure that by 2015 all vehicles meet
international standards for seatbelts (R16 and R14) and for front and side
impacts (R94 and R95). By 2020, it would like Electronic Stability Control and
pedestrian protection measures made standard.

For the full results of these latest tests see here. The Latin NCAP is supported by the Road Safety Fund through an FIA Foundation grant directed to Global NCAP.

See coverage of the story on the Guardian's Sustainable Business website here